Blue Mood

Ever since the first time I saw Adeventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, I’ve wanted to perfect a gorgeous, glittery blue lip. The performance sequence from when the trio finally arrive in Alice Springs is amazing (not to mention technically impossible!) and I love the large bird headdresses they wear with the stunning blue makeup. I saw that blue lip and I was hooked. Then, when I became a drag queen, I started shopping around for products that would give me a gorgeous blue lip!

One product that I really miss, even though it was a bit of a hot mess, is MAC’s Lip Lacquer, a vinyl-slick lip gloss that was packed with color. It was a bit gooey and thick (thicker even than MAC’s Lip Glasses, which I’ve always felt were too thick for their own good), but it came in this amazing baby blue shade that transferred perfectly from the tube to your lips. So many blue lip products look great in the packaging but transfer far too sheerly – Max Factor had this great dark not-quite-navy blue lipstick with glitter that was a knockout in the tube, but when you put it on it sheered down so much it just looked like you had a serious case of hypothermia. But a layer of that lipstick with the blue lip lacquer? Divine! Not exactly what I was looking for, but the closest I could find at the time.

So in celebration of my fascination with blue lips, here are some of my favorite blue lip products (with a couple of other products thrown in for good measure!).

OCC Lip Tar in RX – A gorgeous blue ombre lip just like the one I lusted after in Priscilla is finally within my grasp thanks to the folks at OCC. RX is a bright, true blue, and when combined with a white option like Feathered or Iced, welcome to ombre perfection! If you prefer a solid lip, just mix them to get a light baby blue for the whole lip; toss in a little Power Plant and you’ve got a nice teal blue option. If you want blue lips with a more metal edge, you can use a black Lip Tar option like Batty and fade it into the RX for a more sinister, darker hued ombre. I love, love, love the mixability of the Lip Tars, and I hope they keep coming out with great new collections, especially with the new glittery options!

Lime Crime Opaque Lipstick in No She Didn’t – I’ve opined before about how hard it is to order from Lime Crime before, and I stand behind my previous review (if you missed it, you can find it HERE), but that doesn’t meant that they don’t make fabulous products…when you can get them. This lipstick is a perfect example. Production seems to be limited to springtime, so as Easter approaches, get ready to snatch this one up when it becomes available again if you want a light almost neon blue with solid pigmentation and smooth wear. Not for the faint of heart…but we’re talking about blue lips here, so that almost goes without saying!

MAC Paint Stick in Marine Ultra – A bit heavier than your traditional lip product, this will give you a nice solid covering to the lips. I find that it works best with a darker liner and then a light, glittery gloss over it to give it some texture. Not the most user-friendly option, but if you want a solid blue lip, this will totes get the job done. The blue is true and intense, can be lightened up with a white paint stick (or other white crème product) for a lighter finish.

Urban Decay 24/7 Liner Pencil in LSD and Abyss – Urban Decay pencils are soft and creamy and I just adore them. They are amazing on your eyes, and they did just relaunch a whole line of lip pencils, but if you are using oddball colors, there is no reason not to put the eye pencils where your mouth is! If you are doing a darker blue look and want a navy-almost-black line with a powerful punch of glitter then LSD is your go-to. For lighter looks, Abyss is a rhapsody in blue! Electric is also a good option if you are doing a lighter, more turquoise look.

Sugarpill Loose and Pressed Shadows in Hellatronic, Starling, Afterparty, and Velocity – If you’re doing a wild Technicolor blue lip, chances are you aren’t looking to pair it with a super neutral eye look (though doing so could create some really stunning editorial looks!). If you want to color block and keep your whole face feeling blue, SugarPill Cosmetics has some really amazing loose and pressed shadows. Hellatronic is a loose shadow from the company’s ElektroCute line and gives you a bright pop of electric blue, and Starling is a lighter, ultra-shimmery blue with greenish undertones. Afterparty and Velocity are two pressed shadow options that give a solid blue presence with some great undertones, and pairing them with Tako, a bright matte white, is an excellent option as well. Finish the eye look with your Urban Decay pencil and any of the blue shadows for an amazing and unexpected colored brow look.

I love makeup looks that really push the color envelope: my previous posts about green cosmetics (HERE and HERE) have already elaborated my love of that color and my excitement that Emerald was chosen as the 2013 Sephora + Pantone Universe Color Of The Year. Sephora will be launching their 2014 color of the year sometime in the next couple of months, and I’m hoping that they choose something in a rich, bright blue. How fabulous would that be?

Whether you want a darkly sinister blue and black ombre lip or a color-blocked lip for a costume look, there are lots of great products out there to let you achieve your own perfect blue lip look…or any other crazy color you desire. The options for out-of-the-box makeup are the best they’ve been in years, and every makeup diva should be able to find his or her perfect shade. Let’s hope that this blue mood is one that lasts for a good long time.